Annie Darling was born in Chicago, Illinois and studied fine art and graphic design at the University of Oregon and at the University of Southern Maine where she graduated with a degree in Communication Arts. Annie has enjoyed a distinguished career as an artist, art director, and designer, receiving international acclaim for her visual design work. She began developing her encaustic technique in 2010. Her paintings can be found in public venues and private collections nation-wide.

A few words from Annie:

The encaustic medium fascinates me. There are so many ways to use this wax-based technique and I have enjoyed working with many of them. After working with more traditional painting methods, however, I decided to create my own style of dealing with the wax and working with the encaustic process.

Often I use various mediums in addition to the pigmented wax. Beyond the wax, my paintings may include inlaid oil stick, graphite, gold leaf, other types of paint or found objects. In many cases, a piece will be composed of several paintings, portions of which reveal themselves through the layered wax.

I love creating abstract art because it is all about the process. I don’t try to send my paintings in a specific direction; instead, they shape themselves—each in a unique way—every layer informing the next, determining what is possible by creating limitations or opening themselves up to further manipulation.

As a fine artist, I feel it is my duty or calling to allow the work to become what it wants to be, and to not try and force it. I am influenced by my surroundings and by what I see—lines, forms, shapes, shadows and the beauty of nature—and by what I hear—perhaps an intricate piece of music, or a bird calling a mate. With all my senses engaged, the experience of the moment finds its way into my thoughts and suffuses itself in the work.

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